Poll results: Most restaurants have Web sites

89 percent of American restaurants have Web sites, from a low of 86 percent for family restaurants to a high of 94 percent for upscale places;

68 percent of those surveyed use the Internet to attract customers, with e-mail and Web sites tying newspaper and magazine advertising as preferred methods for reaching customers;

28 percent of respondents said they do a targeted monthly e-mail campaign;

Unlike other industries, the poll showed that restaurants build their e-mail lists through their existing customers instead of purchasing lists, with 68 percent of respondents saying that their e-mail address collection is done through website opt-ins, 61 percent adding to their list through on-sight sign-ups, and only 18 percent contributing through business card promotions.

For its poll of the American restaurant industry’s approach to the Internet and online marketing, conducted May 18-23, AIS contacted 5,937 restaurants nationwide. Restaurants were broken down by the following categories: fast food; family; sports; food/bar; upscale; and other.